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Irving and Muktuk
Bad Bear Detectives: An Irving and Muktuk Story
When a shipment of imported Italian muffins goes missing, Irving and Muktuk become the key suspects. Everyone knows their weakness for muffins and immediately think they are responsible!
Irving and Muktuk realize that in order to clear their smirched names, they have to find the culprit themselves. They disguise themselves, sniff out some clues, interview possible witnesses, and try to find the thief. As with all good mysteries, the clues lead to a surprise ending.
Irving and Muktuk realize that in order to clear their smirched names, they have to find the culprit themselves. They disguise themselves, sniff out some clues, interview possible witnesses, and try to find the thief. As with all good mysteries, the clues lead to a surprise ending.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published August 1, 2006
2 people are currently reading
27 people want to read
About the author
Daniel Pinkwater
156 books415 followersDaniel Manus Pinkwater is an author of mostly children's books and is an occasional commentator on National Public Radio. He attended Bard College. Well-known books include Lizard Music, The Snarkout Boys and the Avocado of Death, Fat Men from Space, Borgel, and the picture book The Big Orange Splot. Pinkwater has also illustrated many of his books in the past, although for more recent works that task has passed to his wife Jill Pinkwater.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
October 7, 2009
(Also recommended by Lisa Vegan - but only one name can be inserted!)
Bad Bear Detectives opens with a news item:
Bayonne Tribune
Dirty Works on the Docks
Below the article: a picture of a bear’s footprint.
Two polar bears, Muktuk and Irving, live at the Bayonne Zoo and Captain Hare is convinced they are the culprits. Even the Zoo Director says they are not to be trusted. If it turns out they stole the muffins, they’ll be locked in at night, and their punishment will be to pick up trash around the zoo for a year.
Although they drool, remembering past crimes, the bears claim that this time it’s different; they have been falsely accused. They must find the real thief in order to clear their “smirched” names. Muktuk says he’ll be the good detective and Irving can be the bad detective. As they go about their sleuthing, I couldn’t decide which bear was the dummer one:
“First we must steal hats,” Muktuk says.
“Hats?” Irving asks.
“All detectives have hats,” Muktuk says. “The Zoo Director has hats. We will take two of hers.”
“Isn’t it a bad idea, when we are going to prove we did not steal something, to start out by stealing hats?” Irving asks.
“We have no choice,” Muktuk says, “Without hats, we would be spotted as polar bears in a minute.”
Fortunately, Irving has a skill that will be important in this detective case: he is very good at sniffing. Both bears agree he has the finest nose of any polar bear. Irving’s nose is so good he can not only tell that they are on the trail of very high quality muffins, but he can also smell the mirtilli dell’Italia – the blueberries of Italy inside them. Not only that, Irving can smell bear – two smart bears: “What a nose!” Muktuk says. “You can smell that they are smart?”
“These are the smartest smelling bears I have ever sniffed,” Irving says.
Now, as an adult reading aloud, you might be able to figure out where this story is going. But your youngster may well not. And if your child is very young, he or she will love the pictures, even if they don’t quite get the humour in the story.
Described on the book jacket as “a perfect picture book noir”, Daniel Pinkwater’s wife Jill makes great use of felt-tip marker and ink to illustrate the big white bears outlined in black, complete with exquisite expressions and body postures. The bears’ looming presence on each page is a stark contrast to the background scenes.
Daniel Pinkwater says he writes books he would have liked to read as a child. Of his wife’s illustrations, he says, “She draws the way I would draw if I could really draw. The best thing is when she let’s me make suggestions!”
The story and illustrations reflect the fun this couple must have creating books for children. I can just imagine them laughing as much as I did reading about these not-too-bright, but definitely delightful bears. And if, like me, this is your first experience reading an Irving & Muktuk book, Bad Bear Detectives is the fourth in the series – so – there are three others to look forward to reading!
Bad Bear Detectives opens with a news item:
Bayonne Tribune
Dirty Works on the Docks
Last night, a large shipment of expensive Italian designer muffins disappeared from a waterfront warehouse. The muffins had been unloaded from the ship Gorgonzola Maru earlier in the day. This morning, the muffins were gone. Bayonne City Police found only one clue – a large fat footprint. “This could be the work of bears,” Police Captain Hare told our reporter.
Below the article: a picture of a bear’s footprint.
Two polar bears, Muktuk and Irving, live at the Bayonne Zoo and Captain Hare is convinced they are the culprits. Even the Zoo Director says they are not to be trusted. If it turns out they stole the muffins, they’ll be locked in at night, and their punishment will be to pick up trash around the zoo for a year.
Although they drool, remembering past crimes, the bears claim that this time it’s different; they have been falsely accused. They must find the real thief in order to clear their “smirched” names. Muktuk says he’ll be the good detective and Irving can be the bad detective. As they go about their sleuthing, I couldn’t decide which bear was the dummer one:
“First we must steal hats,” Muktuk says.
“Hats?” Irving asks.
“All detectives have hats,” Muktuk says. “The Zoo Director has hats. We will take two of hers.”
“Isn’t it a bad idea, when we are going to prove we did not steal something, to start out by stealing hats?” Irving asks.
“We have no choice,” Muktuk says, “Without hats, we would be spotted as polar bears in a minute.”
Fortunately, Irving has a skill that will be important in this detective case: he is very good at sniffing. Both bears agree he has the finest nose of any polar bear. Irving’s nose is so good he can not only tell that they are on the trail of very high quality muffins, but he can also smell the mirtilli dell’Italia – the blueberries of Italy inside them. Not only that, Irving can smell bear – two smart bears: “What a nose!” Muktuk says. “You can smell that they are smart?”
“These are the smartest smelling bears I have ever sniffed,” Irving says.
Now, as an adult reading aloud, you might be able to figure out where this story is going. But your youngster may well not. And if your child is very young, he or she will love the pictures, even if they don’t quite get the humour in the story.
Described on the book jacket as “a perfect picture book noir”, Daniel Pinkwater’s wife Jill makes great use of felt-tip marker and ink to illustrate the big white bears outlined in black, complete with exquisite expressions and body postures. The bears’ looming presence on each page is a stark contrast to the background scenes.
Daniel Pinkwater says he writes books he would have liked to read as a child. Of his wife’s illustrations, he says, “She draws the way I would draw if I could really draw. The best thing is when she let’s me make suggestions!”
The story and illustrations reflect the fun this couple must have creating books for children. I can just imagine them laughing as much as I did reading about these not-too-bright, but definitely delightful bears. And if, like me, this is your first experience reading an Irving & Muktuk book, Bad Bear Detectives is the fourth in the series – so – there are three others to look forward to reading!
February 4, 2020
When you're known as "Bad Bears," and have a history of muffin-stealing, the authorities tend to lay every pastry-related crime at your doorstep. How can Irving and Muktuk convince irascible Police Captain Hare that they're innocent, when some "designer" Italian muffins are stolen? By becoming detectives, of course...
Arguably one of the most hilarious of the Bad Bears adventures - and that's saying something - this fourth book in the series has some of Daniel Pinkwater's best dead-pan dialogue. "Make one mistake and anytime a muffin is missing, the coppers are all over you," observes Muktuk. "Of course," he concedes when Irving agrees that it is unfair, "we have made more than one mistake." Then there is the priceless exchange between the two while they are "detecting:" "If you were a bear," begins Muktuk, to which Irving replies "I am a bear! Absolutely hysterical!
Arguably one of the most hilarious of the Bad Bears adventures - and that's saying something - this fourth book in the series has some of Daniel Pinkwater's best dead-pan dialogue. "Make one mistake and anytime a muffin is missing, the coppers are all over you," observes Muktuk. "Of course," he concedes when Irving agrees that it is unfair, "we have made more than one mistake." Then there is the priceless exchange between the two while they are "detecting:" "If you were a bear," begins Muktuk, to which Irving replies "I am a bear! Absolutely hysterical!
October 24, 2008
Yes! This fourth in the Bad Bears series is my second favorite, closely following the first book, and definitively proves that the Pinkwaters are writing/illustrating these books for adults as well as for young children.
This is an absolutely hilarious book. Virtually every page had me giggling. The expressions on the bear’s faces and their body language overall are illustrated with perfection. They make the book 100 times funnier. The detective story with the included solved mystery are highly entertaining for all young children and their adults and, for that matter, adults with no kids in sight.
I’m completely in love with Irving and Muktuk. I’m eagerly awaiting the fifth book. The library should have it available for me next week. Then, I’ll have to start reading the other Pinkwater books until another Irving & Muktuk book gets written.
This is an absolutely hilarious book. Virtually every page had me giggling. The expressions on the bear’s faces and their body language overall are illustrated with perfection. They make the book 100 times funnier. The detective story with the included solved mystery are highly entertaining for all young children and their adults and, for that matter, adults with no kids in sight.
I’m completely in love with Irving and Muktuk. I’m eagerly awaiting the fifth book. The library should have it available for me next week. Then, I’ll have to start reading the other Pinkwater books until another Irving & Muktuk book gets written.
June 14, 2018
Irving and Muktuk must become detectives in order to clear their names.
Pinkwater is at the top of his metafictional game here. The reader, even a very young reader, is fully in on the joke. These polar bears are silly! And not to be trusted! And adults are foolish easily fooled by hats!
Much like some of his other masterful, subversive books like The Big Orange Splot, The Wuggie Norple Story, and Devil in the Drain, Pinkwater makes subtle commentary on the subjectivity of perspective, resisting external value systems, and the deliciousness of blueberry muffins, especially Italian designer blueberry muffins.
"First, we must steal hats," Muktuk says.
"Hats?" Irving asks.
"All detectives wear hats," Muktuk says. "The Zoo Director has hats. We will take two of hers."
"Isn't it a bad idea, when we are going to prove that we did not steal something, to start out my stealing hats?" Irving asks.
"We have no choice," Muktuk says. "Without hats, we would be spotted as polar bears in a minute."
Pinkwater is at the top of his metafictional game here. The reader, even a very young reader, is fully in on the joke. These polar bears are silly! And not to be trusted! And adults are foolish easily fooled by hats!
Much like some of his other masterful, subversive books like The Big Orange Splot, The Wuggie Norple Story, and Devil in the Drain, Pinkwater makes subtle commentary on the subjectivity of perspective, resisting external value systems, and the deliciousness of blueberry muffins, especially Italian designer blueberry muffins.
October 25, 2008
I was trying hard to hold off on reading this until I read Bad Bears Go Visiting, which is waiting for me at the library. But I just couldn't resist after seeing the reviews by Lisa and Abigail! I was laughing out loud from page 2 (when the bad bears are hanging out in the Bayonne Zoo, cheating each other at cards). The Pinkwaters are funny!
(I grew up just 20 miles from Bayonne and I'm pretty sure it doesn't have a zoo, and I know it isn't the Muffin Capitol of the world, but I'm glad to see the Bad Bears putting Bayonne on the map.)
(I grew up just 20 miles from Bayonne and I'm pretty sure it doesn't have a zoo, and I know it isn't the Muffin Capitol of the world, but I'm glad to see the Bad Bears putting Bayonne on the map.)
May 14, 2017
Less surreal, more straightforward, than the previous entries. Do not, however, read this one first! Still absurd. Still hilarious. I want to be an imaginative little kid and have Irving and Muktuk action figures and play adventure stories with them.
January 17, 2012
"This is bad," Muktuk says. "Make one mistake, and anytime a muffin goes missing, the coppers are all over you."
A large shipment of designer Italian blueberry muffins has gone missing.
Captain Hare is on the case and suspects those two bad bears, Irving and Muktuk.
Irving and Muktuk stand by their innocence and are out to prove they aren't the bears the Captain is looking for.
Charming and delightful.
A large shipment of designer Italian blueberry muffins has gone missing.
Captain Hare is on the case and suspects those two bad bears, Irving and Muktuk.
Irving and Muktuk stand by their innocence and are out to prove they aren't the bears the Captain is looking for.
Charming and delightful.
July 25, 2021
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January 16, 2019
When a shipment of imported blueberry muffins is stolen, suspicion immediately turns to Irving and Muktuk. So unfair! It's true that they have a history with blueberry muffins, but that doesn't mean that they're guilty this time. The two polar bears decide to investigate themselves, to prove their innocence.
April 19, 2019
The story was cute enough but I didn't like how it made it seem okay and even appealing to steal. I like children's books to have some kind of moral. I wasn't very happy when I got to the end.
October 9, 2019
Fun and cute book to read to the students.
April 24, 2023
Super silly. A good introduction to the concept of mystery for young kids.
September 16, 2019
This is such a cute book. While there are consequences to stealing, this is a fun story about the bears' search for the thieves of muffins.
February 16, 2015
Booklist July 2006 (Vol. 102, No. 21)
PreS-Gr. 2. This new book about muffin-loving Irving and Muktuk turns the hard-boiled detective tradition on its ear with mischief that will make preschoolers laugh as much as the adults who read to them. When a large shipment of Italian designer muffins disappears from a waterfront warehouse, the two polar bears are the chief suspects. Facing the slammer, they cry and declare their innocence ("Our names are smirched"), then sneak out of the zoo to find the real thieves. But why do the clues lead back to the zoo? The pictures of the big, white bears outlined in ink and performing against brightly colored backgrounds add to the fun as they act tough to the bossy authorities, sniff out (literally) the bad guys, and surprise everyone, including themselves.
Horn Book Spring 2007
Accused of stealing expensive Italian designer muffins, polar bears Irving and Muktuk decide to clear their names by solving the mystery themselves. They go to the scene of the crime and follow a trail of crumbs back to their home, only to remember that they did indeed steal the muffins. Both the silly, wordy story and stiff, colorful illustrations feel underdeveloped.
Kirkus Reviews July 1, 2006
Irving and Muktuk-"each a bad bear if there ever was one"-embark on their fourth crime spree. Yet this time, it may be a case of mistaken polar bear identity. Yes, there were bear footprints found on the docks where a shipment of expensive Italian designer muffins have disappeared (Irving and Muktuk are known miscreants in the missing-muffin department). But Irving and Muktuk claim innocence-when the police arrive, the bears vow to erase the "smirch" on their names-and set out to bring whoever snatched the mirtilli dell'Italia to justice, or spend a year without their nightly passes from the zoo. After some serious sniffing at the crime scene, they follow the scent-whoops!-right back to their cave at the zoo. Looks like they made off with the loot after all. Hey, memory-wise, polar bears aren't elephants, so give the boys a break. The Pinkwaters have their mother wit at full tilt, never talking down to their audience (mirtilli dell'Italia, for goodness sake), and are joyously troublemaking, dryly humorous to the point of combustion and playing out just enough rope for Irving and Mukluk to hang themselves. (Picture book. 4-8)
School Library Journal August 1, 2006
Gr 1-3-Irving and Muktuk are accused of stealing a shipment of blueberry muffins that was stored in a waterfront warehouse. The two polar bears swear tearfully that they are innocent, but, as they set out to prove it, they seem more and more suspect. To look like detectives, they steal hats from the Zoo Director and go in search of clues. As they sniff their way closer to the truth, their memory gets jogged concerning the actual nature of events. Kids will love the cartoon drawings rendered in felt-tip marker and ink. The white bears outlined in black ink, one wearing a red hat, the other a yellow one, contrast delightfully with a midnight-blue sky and colorful city buildings as they stride through the streets. This charming mystery will have kids guessing. This story is great for independent mid-level readers and as a read-aloud.-Wanda Meyers-Hines, Ridgecrest Elementary School, Huntsville, AL Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.
PreS-Gr. 2. This new book about muffin-loving Irving and Muktuk turns the hard-boiled detective tradition on its ear with mischief that will make preschoolers laugh as much as the adults who read to them. When a large shipment of Italian designer muffins disappears from a waterfront warehouse, the two polar bears are the chief suspects. Facing the slammer, they cry and declare their innocence ("Our names are smirched"), then sneak out of the zoo to find the real thieves. But why do the clues lead back to the zoo? The pictures of the big, white bears outlined in ink and performing against brightly colored backgrounds add to the fun as they act tough to the bossy authorities, sniff out (literally) the bad guys, and surprise everyone, including themselves.
Horn Book Spring 2007
Accused of stealing expensive Italian designer muffins, polar bears Irving and Muktuk decide to clear their names by solving the mystery themselves. They go to the scene of the crime and follow a trail of crumbs back to their home, only to remember that they did indeed steal the muffins. Both the silly, wordy story and stiff, colorful illustrations feel underdeveloped.
Kirkus Reviews July 1, 2006
Irving and Muktuk-"each a bad bear if there ever was one"-embark on their fourth crime spree. Yet this time, it may be a case of mistaken polar bear identity. Yes, there were bear footprints found on the docks where a shipment of expensive Italian designer muffins have disappeared (Irving and Muktuk are known miscreants in the missing-muffin department). But Irving and Muktuk claim innocence-when the police arrive, the bears vow to erase the "smirch" on their names-and set out to bring whoever snatched the mirtilli dell'Italia to justice, or spend a year without their nightly passes from the zoo. After some serious sniffing at the crime scene, they follow the scent-whoops!-right back to their cave at the zoo. Looks like they made off with the loot after all. Hey, memory-wise, polar bears aren't elephants, so give the boys a break. The Pinkwaters have their mother wit at full tilt, never talking down to their audience (mirtilli dell'Italia, for goodness sake), and are joyously troublemaking, dryly humorous to the point of combustion and playing out just enough rope for Irving and Mukluk to hang themselves. (Picture book. 4-8)
School Library Journal August 1, 2006
Gr 1-3-Irving and Muktuk are accused of stealing a shipment of blueberry muffins that was stored in a waterfront warehouse. The two polar bears swear tearfully that they are innocent, but, as they set out to prove it, they seem more and more suspect. To look like detectives, they steal hats from the Zoo Director and go in search of clues. As they sniff their way closer to the truth, their memory gets jogged concerning the actual nature of events. Kids will love the cartoon drawings rendered in felt-tip marker and ink. The white bears outlined in black ink, one wearing a red hat, the other a yellow one, contrast delightfully with a midnight-blue sky and colorful city buildings as they stride through the streets. This charming mystery will have kids guessing. This story is great for independent mid-level readers and as a read-aloud.-Wanda Meyers-Hines, Ridgecrest Elementary School, Huntsville, AL Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 10, 2016
Choosey Chapter Book Readers Choose Pinkwater
No one does deadpan absurd better than Daniel Pinkwater. From early readers through YA high schoolers there are books for only the hippest of kids.
The Larry the Polar Bear books and the Irving and Muktuk books are ideal for starting readers who can follow the slightly skewed action. Larry is a solo act and has considerable charm as an eccentric character. Irving and Muktuk are a bit different. They are "Bad Bears". They are unrepentant muffin thieves and are not to be trusted.
In this installment an entire shipment of important Italian muffins has been stolen, and Irving and Muktuk are the prime suspects. They decide to take things into their own hands in an effort to clear their names. If not, they face a year behind bars, (which is pretty funny since they live in a zoo). We get to follow the guys as they play detective. Muktuk is a bit more grounded than Irving, who is more along the lines of comic relief. You can think Abbott and Costello, but the dialogue is absurd enough to be more reminiscent of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.
In any event, a good time is had by all and the mystery is ultimately solved. In my experience not every kid gets the Bad Bears, and sometimes a year or two difference in age makes a difference in how they respond. But, I'd certainly want to have one or two around to try out.
Please note that I found this book while browsing the local library's Kindle books, and downloaded it for free. I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.
No one does deadpan absurd better than Daniel Pinkwater. From early readers through YA high schoolers there are books for only the hippest of kids.
The Larry the Polar Bear books and the Irving and Muktuk books are ideal for starting readers who can follow the slightly skewed action. Larry is a solo act and has considerable charm as an eccentric character. Irving and Muktuk are a bit different. They are "Bad Bears". They are unrepentant muffin thieves and are not to be trusted.
In this installment an entire shipment of important Italian muffins has been stolen, and Irving and Muktuk are the prime suspects. They decide to take things into their own hands in an effort to clear their names. If not, they face a year behind bars, (which is pretty funny since they live in a zoo). We get to follow the guys as they play detective. Muktuk is a bit more grounded than Irving, who is more along the lines of comic relief. You can think Abbott and Costello, but the dialogue is absurd enough to be more reminiscent of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.
In any event, a good time is had by all and the mystery is ultimately solved. In my experience not every kid gets the Bad Bears, and sometimes a year or two difference in age makes a difference in how they respond. But, I'd certainly want to have one or two around to try out.
Please note that I found this book while browsing the local library's Kindle books, and downloaded it for free. I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.
July 25, 2017
Typical Pinkwater story...weird.
August 18, 2012
This is the first book we've read in the Irving and Muktuk series by Daniel Pinkwater and Jill Pinkwater. I'm not sure I get it. The story is very odd and the ending is even stranger. The illustrations are a bit flat, too. The dialogue is a bit tiresome to read aloud, but perhaps I was just tired. Overall, the story was okay, but certainly not a favorite for us. We may have to read the first book in the series to give it another chance.
March 17, 2010
This is my 3rd Irving & Muktuk book. I don't know if these bears are growing on me, or what, but I actually enjoyed this one much more than the first two! The writing was much better; the jokes were funnier. Interestingly, the pictures were not quite as colorful, but I guess what really got me liking it was the greatly improved story line and the text.
November 19, 2008
Irving and Muktuk are falsely accused and set out to find the real culprits. Love these doofuses!
March 5, 2009
The Bad Bears are accused of stealing muffins. To prove their innocence they decide to become the Bad Bear Detectives and solve the case.
November 19, 2012
good for predicting ending.
March 9, 2015
Great example of a mystery. Love the tone of this book. Lots of "detective voice" in it.
Read
October 7, 2015550L
November 5, 2015
sophisticated narrative
wordy
bears solving crimes
wordy
bears solving crimes
Read
January 4, 2019Another silly story about two polar bears that seem to investigate themselves.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews